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Back in my younger days, when I was less experienced and enlightened regarding dating, I used to silently scoff when I saw a guy eating in a ramen restaurant with his girlfriend. “Really, buddy? That’s the best you can do for date night?” I’d think to myself.
Flash forward to today, and I can totally see the upside to a ramen date. There’s an undeniable intimacy that comes from enjoying time with a romantic partner in such casual surroundings, and the fact that most ramen joints have counters where you can sit side-by-side makes it easy to sprinkle little bits of physical affection into the meal. Plus there’s just the simple fact that ramen tastes really, really good.
But what if you’re craving ramen but don’t have a girlfriend? Well, Osaka ramen chain Sasayama can cover you on both fronts. As part of a special promotion going on right now, diners at the chain’s America Mura or Tenjinbashi branches will be given a card with a QR code on it. The code gives you access to one of five videos staring members of idol unit Hamburgirls Z, in which one of the cheerful young ladies will, virtually, enjoy some ramen with you.
Load up the video on your smartphone, and you can watch it as you eat to help complete the illusion. In the above sample, Hamburgirls Z’s Ku-chan starts off with a perky “Itadakimasu!” before trying a mouthful of the piping hot ramen.
Apparently Ku-chan’s ordered a different type of ramen than you have, so she generously offers to give you a bite, before asking if she can sample some of yours, too.
Each bowl of ramen you order gets you one QR card, with the restaurant no doubt hoping customers will keep coming back until they’re matched up with their favorite idol or have gone on a virtual date with the whole group before the promotion ends on August 31.
Restaurant information Sasayama Ramen (America Mura branch) / 篠山らーめん（アメリカ村店） Address: Osaka-fu, Osaka-shi, Chuo-ku, Shinsaibashi 2-8-33 大阪府大阪市中央区心斎橋2-8-33 Open: 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Sasayama Ramen (Tenjinbashi branch) / 篠山らーめん（天神橋店） Address: Osaka-fu, Osaka-shi, Kita-ku, Tenjinbashi 3-1-16 大阪府大阪市北区天神橋3-1-16 Open: 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Source: Kai-You
Read more stories from RocketNews24. -- Tokyo ramen restaurant’s made-to-order noodles are only the beginning of its awesomeness -- Michelin-listed ramen restaurant will turn you into a tiger with a single bite --This Tokyo ramen restaurant is the first to ever receive a Michelin dining guide star
© Japan Today
33 Comments
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sensei258
That's a good marketing gimmick
MsDelicious
45 seconds of ramen bliss for chubby salarymen.
sensei258
This all only lasts a week? There's gonna be some angry customers
blvtzpk
Oh, this is going to end well....
ShinCebu
I feel Pity....
sensei258
Notice how she's dressed like the kind of girl you'd bring home to mom. Maybe they'd get even more customers if they used popular AV stars, or scantily-clad hostesses
GW
Is pathetic enough to describe this even........
SimondB
Words fail me.
sensei258
"Hamburgirls Z"? Who's making up this names, or rather, how are they doing it? By drawing random slips of paper which each have a noun written on them?
HollisBrown
@sensei258 - It's most likely the most senior person in the meeting room, and nobody else has the bottle to tell him/her that it's an absolutely ridiculous idea.
I guess this particular numpty's favorite food is 'hamburg', and he drives a Fairlady Z.
Moonraker
This is just sad, pathetic and dispiriting on so many levels.
Tony Alderman
Considering the highly sexualized imagery of idols and even regualr schoolgirls in Japan，this isn't so shocking.
papigiulio
Dude, seriously? So couples can't eat a ramen place? What if she LOVES ramen? Don't be so condescending. I sometimes take the missus to eat ramen, we both love it.
Citizen2012
So Japanese(ly) pathetic.
Outrider
sad, embarrassing, indicative of serious problems among the adult population.
Alistair Carnell
So look out for these saddoes staring into their phones whilst dripping noodle soup into their crotches.
sf2k
geez that's so pathetic. Just ask someone out. Go outside. It's that place where Pokemon Go exists.
Juan Carlos Barbosa Padilla
Just imagine the possibilities... while eating a tourist can have some kind of virtual date with a english spoken lady that suggest him to visit some spots around...
danalawton1@yahoo.com
Ok... what about a virtual eikaiwa Ramen Shop.... pay an extra Y300 and you get a nice 5 minute conversation with a male or female English speaker. Plenty of English speaking people sitting around the world willing to make around $3 for 5 minutes conversation.
sf2k
It could degenerate quickly like The Truman Show, where the mother kept doing product placement
Moonraker
Hamburgirls Z ? Objectification to the point of chopped meat?
77bro
As much as this kind of stuff is extreme denial/avoidance from a pretty serious issue as opposed to a solution, people need to get off their high-horses calling it pathetic, embarrassing etc.
sangetsu03
I'd prefer a date with a real idol, and enjoy a bowl of virtual ramen.
smithinjapan
Sad on so many levels, back then and now.
Outrider
77bro, just calling it like it is.
Sensato
In case you wanted to see this group in action, here is a video of one of their performances: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqccJFhKhjA
susano
thanks for that sensato.......
Strangerland
I really feel bad for all you guys. So hard done by, having to exist in the same realm of existence as people who like to enjoy themselves doing things they enjoy.
It must be hard for you all.
BertieWooster
I'd just like to correct the spelling in the article.
It's "idle" singers, not "idol" as written.
The reason being that they DO absolutely nothing.
slowguy2
Somehow, this sounds way more "only in Japan" than most of those wacky inventions and gadgets.
inkjet
Strangely seductive. I want ramen, now!
presto345
Oh, that will make the ramen taste so good.